January seems to be the coldest winter month for the Dallas-Fort Worth Area. When the temperature drops below freezing you could wake up the next morning and not have any running water because your pipes are frozen. You can prevent this from happening with these simple steps:
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- Insulate any pipes you have access to, especially the pipes that are exposed to any cold flowing air.
- Provide extra heat near any pipes that are exposed to cold flowing air with a heat lamp or by simply turning up the thermostat a few extra degrees when the temperature outside drops.
- Turn on one or two of your faucets to a slow constant drip so there is always a flow of water through the pipes. The constant flow of water prevents standing water in the pipes from freezing up.
- Disconnect any hoses or attachments to faucets, this will protect them from freezing and breaking.
- Turn off the water supply throughout your home or business and let excess water drain out. If you are going to be away for multiple days, you might consider turning off the water supply throughout your home or business. If there is no water in the pipes, then they can not freeze. If you are going to be out of town but are unsure of the proper steps when doing this, simply call a professional to assist you in the process.
If you do have any frozen pipes, thaw them out as soon as you can to prevent any of the pipes from bursting. You can thaw them simply by blowing hot air on them with a blow dryer or a space heater. Once you have them thawed, use the these steps to prevent it from happening again.